Yamaha YDS120 Digital Saxophone Demonstration

[@noskanow]

Apologies to viewers, I had a bit of brain fog during this video. The last of the functions you can set up is REVERB, not vibrato as I said. Vibrato is fixed and can't be changed but if you want to sound like you're playing in a cathedral, turn up the REVERB setting!

[@audreytonge3339]

This is the best review I’ve seen of the yds120. Thank you!

[@noskanow]

Thanks glad you like it.

[@benefitsconsultingservices8718]

I have a YDS 120. It is a great investment for any sax player. I love the fact that you can practice in private anywhere. Once amplified the sound is of great quality. As a saxophone player for the last 51 years I give it two thumbs up!!

[@jacktoddy9783]

Peter thank you for a thorough demonstration - much appreciated.

[@noskanow]

Thanks glad you liked it

[@MegaKouto]

I agree the lack of lithium battery is really bad, you're idea with the mobile battery is awesome. Me i use rechargeables AAA batteries and I can play around 2 hours per charge. Also I'm very happy with my yds-120 I practice a lot more with it, of course it doesn't work your embouchure or tone, but to practice songs everywhere and quietly it's a great tool.

[@noskanow]

That's interesting, I get nothing like 2 hours out of NiMh rechargeables. I'd be interested in what make and capacity your rechargeables your are.

[@MegaKouto]

@@noskanow Hi, when I play with the batteries I play really quietly and they are brand new energizer batteries. Maybe after a bunch of charging cycle they'll last less. But for now it's OK.

[@noskanow]

@@MegaKouto OK, but what capacity are your energizer batteries. I have 750mAh rechargeables in mine and they last only minutes on a full charge.

[@fleurcha7151]

​​@@noskanowThere are 2000mah. its colored green if that helps. try typing it on google "2000 mah AAA rechargeable nimh amazon" itll show up

[@bluedragontoybash2463]

wait what ? it need to be pluged in or AAA batteries ? that sucks !!

[@sachachanyan]

Great review! I just got one. I‘m a guitarist/singer and don’t play the sax yet but I have a list of about 20 songs I intend to learn to play while backing myself with my guitar with the help of a looper. I‘m going to busk and and play cafés and restaurants and small gigs with it which makes its‘ sonic versatility very handy. It’s also great for practicing at any time of the day with earphones in an apartment, a bus, a train, a plane, an airport.... An enormously practical tool!

[@noskanow]

Good luck!

[@vincentv998]

Thanks alot for this lovely review and demo! Helpful definitely :)

[@pierred312]

Very interesting review ! Thanks a lot. It’s cristal clear.

[@jacktoddy9783]

Excellent video review - thank you.

[@MrThelonliestpunk]

Very informative and enjoyable review,thank you.

[@Carlos31416]

A very useful review, thanks ! 😽

[@Everyman777]

Thanks for this. I think I may have to get one of these.

[@noskanow]

I didn't include everything in this review - it would have been too long. There's an App for your smart phone which you can plug into the YDS120 and do all sorts of things to it, for instance make it play in concert pitch so you can create a C Melody sax if you want and there are several other things the App can do to it. Because there isn't a reed you can't pitch bend on it so they've put a pitch bend button on it. So yes, it's a worthwhile investment I think and a lot of fun. I like to record all the parts of my quartet arrangements with it to see how they sound as a score and it's great for that.

[@luancruz8473]

thanks for the video! i recently bought one of these for study at night!

[@noskanow]

Good luck with your studying. I didn't mention in the video but headphones work very well with it.

[@Johnharpdalton]

Excellent demo which has ultimately rather put me off the instrument, actually, and I still prefer what the WX5 can do. If this YDS is only a rehearsal/practice instrument I'd rather practice a real sax somewhere. I'm glad you like it so much and you play it very well. Best wishes.

[@noskanow]

It's only my opinion that it's not a performance instrument, and many might disagree. It certainly can be played in public performance and there are You Tube videos of it, but I'll turn your view round and say that if you're going to perform in public then do it with a conventional saxophone. Thanks for your views - much appreciated.

[@stuartburns315]

I'd love the yds120 if only it had a 5 pin din midi out like my wx5

[@ambrosesagayanathan3121]

Bro, nice explanation, I am interested to purchase this bro, can I purchase this one bro. Please

[@stuartburns315]

Great video , from what I can see there is not a 5 pin din midi out like there is an old Yamaha WX5. Is the a way to convert the usb out to 5 pin din out so I can connect to my hardware synth module or my keyboard midi in?

[@noskanow]

There's no USB out either! But you could buy a 3.5mm stereo jack plug to 5 pin MIDI cable and plug that into the headphone socket. Amazon sell the cable for a few pounds .

[@stuartburns315]

@noskanow but that wouldn't send midi data out of headphone jack would it?

[@noskanow]

@@stuartburns315 No. The cable supplies analogue audio to pins 2, 3 and 4 of the MIDI plug leaving pins 1 and 5 unconnected. If this cable is available then I assume it must work!, but that's from someone who has never understood MIDI, never will and who has never used it. Sorry!

[@mhoyoux]

How to clean/wash the interior of the sax ? Risk of moisture !?

[@jorgemanuel6866]

Hello Peter, do you know any Digital Wind Instrument that we could control the vibrato using the diaphragm?

[@noskanow]

@@jorgemanuel6866 I think the Yamaha YDS150 uses a normal acoustic saxophone mouthpiece and reed so you should be able to do vibrato on that, but don't know if you can or not.

[@fgerv]

This one kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5bdmaKBaL2gjqMfeature=shared

[@JesusIsKing96]

Great video thanks. I have had my YDS120 for just over a week now. There is so much that I love about up, but THE most annoying thing, and U am wondering if it is just me, as I have little hands, is the octave key.! If I don’t have the sax resting on my leg when I play, I am finding that the sax seems to want to turn and so I find it extremely difficult to keep the octave key on. Especially if I am using my palm keys the come back down onto the higher register of c,b and a, I have to REALLY press the octave key. It is so frustrating, because apart from that, the sax does exactly what I hoped it would do. Any advice please?

[@noskanow]

Yes I too found the octave key a bit troublesome initially. It's positioned about 45 degrees right of centre and even though it's 20mm long it has to be pressed in the middle to activate its digital switch, if the octave touch piece is pressed at its ends the digital switch will not activate. This means that your thumb must be a long way over to the right all the time and I sometimes failed to activate it until I got used to it. It's just a case of being aware of this feature and working with it in the same way you might have to do with a new acoustic saxophone, you have to get used to it.

[@JesusIsKing96]

@@noskanow thanks for that and yes I will persevere because I do love it. Just a shame that Yamaha never thought of improving it after the YDS150. Especially something so crucial as that! Happy playing.

[@jhuynh95]

I never played the saxophone before but want to learn. Would you recommend I pick this one up? I see the brass yamaha at over 1k, so I am not sure if the digital option is similar in quality. I want to sink 400$-ish just to see if its right for me.

[@noskanow]

I would not recommend that your learn to play saxophone on this instrument. It doesn't have an acoustic mouthpiece or reed and therefore does not replicate the embouchure of an acoustic saxophone. If you want to learn to play saxophone find a teacher in your area who may well have a student saxophone you can use and your budget will get you well on your way.

[@jhuynh95]

@@noskanow thanks! I think I will try the digital first... just to see if I am interested in learning. I did read the embochure/air pressure is not the same as acoustic, but I am just trying to have fun. thanks for the insights !

[@sinisavlais6325]

Yamaha YDS-120. No BT, 4AAA batteries are cons. But many pros.

[@Hungtube1]

Thank you for your great review. May I ask if it is possible to add external device for blue tooth connectivity?

[@noskanow]

The YDS120, unlike its predecessor the YDS150, does not have Blue Tooth.

[@Hungtube1]

Thank you for your reply. Duly noted. Is that a wireless mic you attached to the YSD120?

[@noskanow]

@@Hungtube1 It's not a microphone it's a transmitter. Plug that into the YDS and plug the receiver into the amplifier. More usually used for guitars , but works perfectly well here too.

[@Hungtube1]

@@noskanow Thank you so much for your reply.

[@waldoweathers]

thx u, very good

[@MP-ek6vo]

Nice explanation. One question - how do I connect it to VL70m ? Is there any midi out like wx7 or wx5 etc?

[@noskanow]

I had a VL70m back in the '90s and from what I remember I don't see how it could be connected to it. There's no MIDI out from the YDS120 and there are only two ways into it. There's an AUX IN 3.5mm jack plug and as far as I can tell all that does is play an audio input over the internal speaker or headphones. The other way in is via the micro USB connector and this is used to connect to a device which is running the YDS120 App produced by Yamaha and available from Play Store. I've got the app on my mobile phone and when connected it allows you amongst several other things to load synth voices into the custom voice slots. I haven't explored that function because I'm not interested in doing that and I think it's pretty restricted for the kinds of things you're looking to do with it.

[@MP-ek6vo]

I got it. Thanks for your response. It does not have any Bluetooth either. I think Yamaha really need to think about their products . Have a good day Sir.

[@ewitor9547]

To connect the YDS 120 to the VL70m you need the USB to MIDI interface. I am using KENTON (MIDI USB HOST). Set the display to CRL mode. Connect the USB output of YDS 120 to the USB input of the interface. Using a MIDI cable, connect the MIDI output of the interface to the MIDI input of the VL70m. Perform transposition on VL70m

[@MP-ek6vo]

@@ewitor9547thanks this really helps

[@JesusIsKing96]

Hi. Because there are so many different types out there, please can you tell me which portable power pack you are using? Great tutorial, helped me a lot.

[@manickamvictor4377]

What is the price and where I have to order.? Please inform me

[@noskanow]

Just Google it.

[@dorriesmith4907]

Great video, Peter. What's the brand of your guitar wireless transmitter you're using?

[@noskanow]

The brand is LEKATO. Be careful if you're buying them. They do two models and you want the one with the changeable tip where the 6mm jack plug unscrews and comes off to reveal a 3.5mm jack. You'll want the 3.5mm jack on the transmitter for the YDS 120 and the 6mm jack on the receiver for your amp or audio interface if you're recording. I think the dual tip model is the WS-60, but check that out before buying.

[@dorriesmith4907]

@@noskanow Thank you

[@BAMBOO-MONK]

Thank you! But, what about Bluetooth connectivity?

[@noskanow]

The YDS 120 doesn't have Bluetooth.

[@BAMBOO-MONK]

@@noskanow Noted. Thanks. That's very unfortunate. Not providing Bluetooth and rechargeable batteries on an improved version of the YDS series, are two of the dumbest decisions Yamaha took!

[@simmonslumber1210]

Can you play any of the sax voices in concert pitch? Thanks

[@noskanow]

Don't think so, and you can't use the tuning function because it hasn't got the range to pull transposing saxes into concert pitch. Good point though, it seems like a C Melody sax isn't catered for.

[@ewitor9547]

Using the YDS Controller program installed on your smartphone, you can transpose the sound to any key and save it in the instrument’s memory. I created user instruments for playing the soprano in concert pitch.